Juniper
by Chiarra
Summary: Being able to sum up your entire life in less than 5 paragraphs is the worst kind of pain. Not being able to force away the painful memories of your entire existence is something completely different. *title may change*
1. Memories

**AN: This is my first fanfiction. I'm hoping to get better as I go along, and sort out the plot. Please review and tell me what you think XD **

**- Chiarra**

* * *

_Smoke from fires filled the air, covering the rich houses in a grey haze. The ground was mostly dirt or stone – no concrete or tar. Things were simpler then and I was Juniper, an innocent sixteen year old girl who had faced her fair share of hardship over the years. My parents were gone and the children left behind were sent to work… I became a servant in a harsh household, one where I was treated worse than the dirt I scrubbed from the floor._

_I never complained, though. Considering the rest of the jobs I could be forced to do it was not bad at all. I would wait it out until nightfall, when I would set off to a small studio a few streets away. I was an understudy to an artist and musician, one who was amazingly talented. I learnt from him, trying to soak up as much information as I could._

_I was walking from the studio, just an hour after dawn. The sun was smothered by clouds. There were few people around – we were a small city, just a little way from London. I stepped into an alley, aiming on taking a shortcut to the bakery. It was the most stupid thing I have ever done in my existence._

_A figure leapt at me, so fast it was a blur. I hit the ground hard, landing on my back. I heard my dress tearing, felt a sharp sting… then the sun came out. The thing on me hissed, like an animal, and jumped away. Despite the horrendous pain I was in and the warm blood seeping onto my ripped dress, I couldn't help but to gasp in awe. The creature that had attacked me was sparkling, like a great diamond in the sunlight. It turned and fled, leaving me to crawl behind a pile of rubbish and suffer the worst three days of my life._

_The transformation isn't what hurts the most, though. What hurts the most is being able to sum up your entire life in less than five paragraphs. It'sthere, the pain filling my non-beating heart, all because of what had happened. Because of what I had become._


	2. Fighting

**AN: Please review and tell me what you think. I would like to get better in my writing XD So any constructive criticism would be very much appreciated.**

**- Chiarra**

* * *

_I fought it. The dryness at the back of my throat, like a constant burning. A thick, silvery liquid would pool in my mouth, my muscles would ache then tense, preparing to leap forward… and I would fight my own being, try to control the animalistic urges and forget the tantalising thoughts._

_I left the dingy alley as soon as I could. The burning, the stinging, the tears… I suffered in silence, writhing wildly and screaming internally. It was the single most horrifying experience I had ever been through. The pain spread from a cut just above my left breast, fanning out until it was coursing through my entire body._

_The last hours were the most horrible. The pain hit its peak and I was convulsing on the ground, trying in vain to make the ache go away. Then I started vomiting uncontrollably, ridding my body of bloody masses. I later realised these were my now unneeded organs._

_My heart and lungs stayed, that I was sure of. I heard my hearts last beat with my very own ears – and then the pain was gone. I was gasping for air, but didn't need it. Everything was clear, so much clearer than ever before. I knew I had become something else, but it wasn't until later I found out what. And when that happened, I refused to accept it, no matter how hard my instincts fought._

_I remember the first time I forced human food down my throat after the change. My body tried to bring it back up, but I refused to let it. And I've been told I can be awfully stubborn when I want to be. Soon, my body seemed to give up and accepted that I wasn't going to give it blood. The food I gave it instead was responsible for the strange colour of my eyes, my scent and the slight flush my skin always had._

_My body was going to eat human food, because in my mind I was still human. Even if I really was a monster._

* * *

I hit my head against the steering wheel, feeling my car purr under my white hands. The stupid memories… they were stupid, so very stupid. I sighed and brought my eyes to the road again. A road sign loomed up and I sped past it: 10 miles to Forks.

I pressed the accelerator harder, causing the needle on the speedometer to almost go past breaking point. I needed this change, just like I needed all the changes I had made in the last century. The memories were so vivid, so terrifying… if I kept myself occupied I wouldn't need 

to relive them anymore.

Rain pattered my car. I smiled. Good. There was all the proof I needed- it was the middle of summer, but the sky was a dark grey and it was _raining! _Forks was the perfect place to live.

I hit the small town in no time. I slowed down considerably, not wanting to draw unneeded attention to myself. I hated driving slow, but I had to do it. To everyone else, I was a pretty sixteen year old girl, and an intelligent one at that. Only I knew what I really was and I planned on keeping it that way. If people got curious, they would start asking questions.

I pulled in at a diner, cutting the engine of my car quickly. I checked myself over in the rear view mirror – my eyes hadn't been red since I was first changed. Now they were an odd silvery blue, because I hadn't drunk blood in _months. _

The diner was quiet. I wandered inside and walked up to the counter. A teenage boy was serving. His heart went crazy as soon as I entered the door. He looked me up and down before asking for my order.

"I would like diet lemonade and a serving of lasagne please." I said quietly, my British accent immediately sparking interest.

"Are you from out of town?" He asked as he handed me my change. I laughed.

"I'm not from out of town. I'm from out of country." I replied, before sitting down at the counter. He smiled at me, his heart still beating rapidly, before running off to the kitchens. He came back with my meal in no time, and watched me out of the corner of his eye as I ate it slowly, savouring the taste. I had a weird diet, but I was glad of it. I'd rather eat lasagne than drink animal blood. At least lasagne doesn't feel pain when you bite down on it.

By the time I left the diner, the drizzle of rain had turned into a downpour. I drove through the town, looking at street addresses. My house was supposed to be in a secluded area… there! A gravel path led off one of the few streets. I followed it for a while, bending around the road until I reached my house. A large sign announced it sold.

It was a gorgeous little white cottage, with shutters on each window. A wrap-around veranda was being swallowed up by a lush green garden, one that sprouted a colourful array of flowers. I sat back in the seat of my car, peering through the rain. I loved fresh starts.

I finally got out of my car, and headed up the veranda steps. A lone cherry wood rocking chair sat by the front door. I smiled. I shipped all my furniture here earlier and had movers take it in.

I pulled a shiny set of keys out of my pocket, and unlocked the front door. This was just the beginning of my new lifetime.


	3. Power

_I saw myself in a mirror a few days after the change – I was beautiful. I was no longer just Juniper. I was something exotic, strange and compelling. My brown hair was still short, but seemed to frame my face better. It was a feathery pageboy bob, with an equally feathery fringe that hung slightly in my eyes. In the right lights it shone a multitude of colours – red, black, blonde…_

_All of my features were sharp, angular and seemed washed out and pale, but an attractive pale. The only thing that scared me was my eyes. They were a rich blood-red, the colour of glittering rubies in a sunset._

_My lips were lush and full, and my body was… well, amazing. And it was strong. I learnt that the first time I was attacked, about a month after I was turned._

_A hand had grabbed me while I was hiding in a shadowy cellar, waiting for the day to end and the sun to leave. It was as equally pale as my skin, and when I was shoved against a wall I realised its owner was as equally inhuman, but male. Red eyes stared into mine. I felt a tingle run up and down my body as the creature began to squeeze my throat, and I focused hard. On what, I don't know. But I sensed a new sort of power hitting me and my body felt as though it was being hooked up to an electric current._

_I lashed out instinctively and the male was flung across the room, hitting the opposite wall. He growled and leapt to his feet, ready for a fight. He made a sweeping hand movement, but it did nothing. His eyes widened as I copied that movement and sent him into the wall again. This time he got up and ran, a blur of movement. I never saw him again, but the power of telekinesis stayed with me._

_I realised later I had the ability to take powers. Not use them, borrow them or absorb them, but take them. Once I had it I couldn't give it back, and the original owner was left powerless. I felt bad for that creature, so long ago… I took something of his, and was unable to return it. I decided then I had to harness my power._

* * *

It took me less than half an hour to move all the furniture in my home into the proper places. I just stood in the middle of each room and concentrated. I didn't have to move a single muscle.

I loved my furniture. It was old-fashioned but stylish. It never makes me feel as old as I actually am. I was proud of all of my possessions, from my very few childhood items to my laptop and cell phone. It all summed me up perfectly.

I had arrived in Forks with only a few days left until school started up again. I had been through school so many times I could do it in my sleep – figuratively speaking, of course. This time, though, I had managed to be placed a few years ahead. While I should have been in Year 10, I was going to complete my final year this year. And so I should. I have lived through pretty much all of the history we are being taught and after you go through school as many times as I have you realise that every year is the same.

The only thing I struggled with in school hours was _me_. Trying to control what I was. It wasn't bloodlust, I had that mastered decades ago, and I could fit in during lunchtime what with the human food and all… but I use telekinesis for pretty much everything and I _looked _different. Then there was my back story – this time I wanted to keep my English accent. It was a reminder of my human life and I loved it. And my lack of parents… I've learnt from previous experiences that pretending you had parents when you actually didn't came back to bite you.

Bite you… odd choice of words… My mind drifted off just a little bit. I reined it back and shook my head, trying to think up a good story. The thing about humans is that they are horribly gullible – tell them something with the right amount of charm and confidence and they'll lap it up.

I was from London. My parents… died? Yes! So I came to America, Port Angeles to be exact, where some more of my family lived and agreed to take me in. But… we didn't get along. And I… left. To live by myself. And mourn my parents.

I grinned. Nice. Now all I had to do was act casual and… human.

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**AN: Please don't forget to tell me what you think!**

**- Chiarra**


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